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The Weird Al biopic appropriately spoofs real music biopics

The new trailer hits all the important beats in a very silly way

Austen Goslin (he/him) is an entertainment editor. He writes about the latest TV shows and movies, and particularly loves all things horror.

Al Yankovic is hitting the big time in the new trailer for the parody artist’s parody biopic. Weird: The Al Yankovic Story will star Daniel Radcliffe as Weird Al himself and and tell the not-so-true story of Al’s famous life. The movie is set for release on The Roku Channel streaming service on Nov. 4.

Weird’s trailer runs through some of the typical touchstones you might expect in a musician biopic and puts them through a fittingly silly Weird Al filter. There are scenes from Al’s childhood where his parents worry about his Polka obsession, a sequence where he amazes his friends with an improvised rendition “My Bologna,” and his descent into strife and ruin thanks to... Madonna (Evan Rachel Wood). There’s even the presence of a suspicious older promoter (Dr. Demento, played by Rainn Wilson) who wants to use Al to help him hit it big. All of it is played up to the ridiculous degree you’d expect from a movie about a man who made his name writing parody songs.

The movie also stars Quinta Brunson (Abbott Elementary) as Oprah Winfrey, Thomas Lennon (Reno 911!), Toby Huss (Halt and Catch Fire), Julianna Nicholson (I, Tonya), and Spencer Treat Clark (Agents of SHIELD). Weird is directed by Eric Appel (Silicon Valley) and written by Appel and Al Yankovic himself.

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